There’s nothing more fun than a great living literature unit study. This Treasure Island literature unit will have your students talking like pirates, discussing obedience and loyalty, and learning all about life on the sea and a deserted island!

Join Jim as he travels the high seas with the mysterious and often deceptive Long John Silver. Where will this adventure take you? Why, wherever the wind blows!

Without further adieu, here are your free lesson plans for Treasure Island unit study.

Recommended Resources for Treasure Island Unit Study:

Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson (required)
Pirates: Dead Men’s Tales: Incredible Facts, Maps and True Stories about Life on the High Seas – Anne Rooney and Joe Wilson
The Book of Pirates – Howard Pyle
DK Eyewonder – Pirates – Deborah Lock
Discovering Pirates – Richard Platt
The Pirate’s Handbook – Margarette Lincoln
Mango Languages – Pirate
Port Side Pirates (A Barefoot Singalong) – Oscar Seaworthy and Debbie Harter
How To Make Your Own Simple Treasure Hunt – Sam Gething-Lewis
Visual Encyclopedia of Ships – David Ross
Rattlesnakes (Nature’s Children) – Josh Gregory
Amazing Animals: Sea Lions – Kate Riggs
The Trojan War – Olivia Colidge

 Treasure Island Pirates: Dead Men’s Tales: Incredible Facts, Maps and True Stories about Life on the High Seas The Book of Pirates by Howard Pyle DK Eyewonder – Pirates Discovering Pirates The Pirate’s Handbook Mango Languages – Pirate Port Side Pirates (A Barefoot Singalong) How To Make Your Own Simple Treasure Hunt Visual Encyclopedia of Ships Rattlesnakes (Nature’s Children) Amazing Animals: Sea Lions The Trojan War

Explore further with our Treasure Island  study guide PDF for the classic movie!

Vocabulary from Treasure Island:

squire
saber
tarry
capstan
connoisseur
berth
fourpenny
ruffian
gale
hoarfrost
cutlass
tallowy
lubber
apoplexy
booty
hamlet
repugnance
cannikin
rogue
doubloon
louis d’ors
guinea
buccaneer
squalling
miscreant
puncheon
quay
boatswain
schooner
stave
lanyard
quartermaster
islet
grog
mutiny
prodigious
scupper
landlocked
bulrushes
languor
sward
shipwrecked
marooned
knoll
gallipot
coracle
hawser
jibboom
bowsprit
keel
bulwark
ensign
dirk
halyard
plateau
quadrilateral
obsequious

Suggested Treasure Island Book Activities:

1. Listen to and sing along with “Fifteen Men on a Dead Man’s Chest.” –  (Ch.1; Music; History)
2. Learn to speak pirate  (Ch.1; Foreign Language; Language Arts; Art)
3. Make a list of famous pirates. Write a biography answering these questions:
– When were they born?
– Where?
– What were they most notable for?
(Ch.1; Language Arts; History)
4. Make a pirate costume.  (Ch.1; Art; Life Skills; Social Studies)
5. The Captain loved to theatrically tell stories of his adventures. Take turns telling stories of exciting things from your past. Be expressive! (Ch.1; Language Arts)
6. What is a stroke? What causes them? Write a report. (Ch.2; Language Arts; Science; Health)
7. Research the effects of alcoholism. (Ch.2; Science; Health)
8. What do you think is in the Captain’s chest? Draw a picture of what you envision the contents to be. (Ch.3; Art)
9. Write five adjectives and five nouns on separate slips of paper. Place the adjectives in one container and the nouns in another. Without looking, pick one adjective and one noun. This will be your pirate name! (Ch.3; Language Arts)
10. How many feet are in 100 yards? Measure it out. (You may need a GPS for this.) (Ch.4; Math; Geography)
11. What does “the pluck of a weevil in a biscuit” mean? Discuss. (Ch.5; Language Arts)
12. Captain Billy Bones’ ledger was written in code. Make up your own code and begin keeping a daily diary with it. (Ch.6; Language Arts; Math)
13. Find the exchange rate for dollars, pesos, and euros. (Ch.6; Math; Social Studies)
14. Make a detailed treasure map using latitude and longitude, and label any lakes, hills, bays, or inlets. Use the illustration of the Treasure Island map for your inspiration. (Ch.6; Geography; Art; History; Math)
15. Write any additional information to include clues as to the wherabouts of your treasure on the back of the map from activity #14. (Ch.6; Language Arts; Geography; Math)
16. Draw a map of England and label Bristol and London. (Ch.7; Geography)
17. What is a gamekeeper? (Ch.7; Language Arts; Social Studies; Science)
18. Draw an illustration of the hustle and bustle of the dock. (Ch.8; Art; Language Arts)
19. Look at pictures of different types of ships. Which one do you think would have been the style of a pirate ship? (Ch.8; Science; Critical Thinking; History)
20. Do your best to make a detailed drawing of a schooner. (Ch.8; Art; Science)
21. Read the fable of the mountain and the mouse. Why do you think Captain Smollett reminds the doctor of that fable? (Ch.9; Language Arts; Critical Thinking)
22. Make a list of essential items to take on a sailing voyage. (Ch.10; Language Arts; Critical Thinking)
23. Have you ever heard the name Hispaniola before? Where? (Ch.10; History)
24. What are the qualities a good sea captain should have? Write an essay and support your answer. (Ch.10; Language Arts; Critical Thinking; Character)
25. Locate Madagascar, the Indies, Malabarsurinam, Providence, and Portobello on a map. (Ch.10; Geography)
26. What did Jim overhear in the apple barrel? Act this chapter out. (Ch.11; Language Arts; Art)
27. How are raisins made? Draw a chart or diagram of the process. (Ch.12; Language Arts; Social Studies; Science)
28. Using chalk pastels, illustrate the beach scenery described at the beginning of Ch.13. (Ch.13; Art; Language Arts)
29. Go to an isolated area near your house and explore as if you’ve never been there before. (Ch.14; Field Trip; Science; Geography)
30. Find out the names of the different types of rattlesnakes. Choose one and write a report. (Ch.14; Science; Language Arts; Geography)
31. Define “shipwrecked” and “marooned.” What is the difference between the two? (Ch.15; Language Arts)
32. Learn about wilderness survival. What plants are safe to eat? How can water be purified? How can a shelter be constructed? Consider taking a backpacking trip with an adult. (Ch.15; Field Trip; Safety; Science; Critical Thinking)
33. How many is “twoscore”? (Ch.16; Math)
34. What do “broadside” and “stern” mean when it comes to sailing? (Ch.17; Language Arts; Social Studies)
35. Read the story of the Trojan War. (Ch.18; Language Arts; Literature; History)
36. How do cannons work? Write an essay describing the process. (Ch.18; Language Arts; Science; History)
37. Draw the Jolly Roger flag. (Ch.19; Art; History)
38. Draw the Union Jack flag. (Ch.19; Art; History)
39. Why is a white cloth used to signal surrender? Study the origin of this practice. (Ch.20; History)
40. Illustrate the scene of the pirates climbing over the palisades. (Ch.21; Art)
41. Using chalk pastels or watercolor, render an image of the ocean from the seashore. (Ch.22; Art)
42. Build a model boat out of wood. Test it in a nearby stream or creek to see if it floats. (Ch.22; Life Skills; Art; Science)
43. Learn about buoyancy and density. (Ch.22; Science)
44. Jim compared sea lions to soft snails. What are some similarities between these two creatures? What are some differences? Make a Venn diagram. (Ch.24; Language Arts; Critical Thinking; Science)
45. Write a report on sea lions. (Ch.24; Science; Language Arts; Geography)
46. Take a field trip to the beach and observe the movement of the waves. Sketch what you see, trying to achieve the visual effects of motion. (Ch.24; Field Trip; Science; Art)
47. Dramatize the scene of Jim and Hands in battle. (Ch.26; Language Arts; Art; Physical Education)
48. Using oil pastels, draw a colorful picture of a parrot. (Ch.28; Art)
49. Research what happened to pirates who were caught by the authorities. (Ch.28; History)
50. Find out the meaning behind “The Black Spot.” (Ch.29; History)
51. Learn about the legend behind Davy Jones. (Ch.29; History)
52. Go on a modern treasure hunt and try geocaching. (Ch.29; Field Trip; Geography; Social Studies)
53. Make pork and homemade bread for supper. (Ch.31; Life Skills; Math)
54. Pine trees and other evergreens are gymnosperms, while deciduous trees are angiosperms. Make a chart listing the characteristics of the two. Include pictures or illustrations. (Ch.31; Science; Language Arts; Art)
55. Find out what process causes the formation of rock plateaus. (Ch.32; Science)
56. How many feet are in 10 yards? Take a guess of how many steps it would take to walk this distance. Measure it out and try it. How close did you get? (Ch.32; Math; Critical Thinking)
57. Repeat the steps from activity #56, but with 30 yards. (Ch.33; math; Critical Thinking)
58. “…wriggling like an eel in his embarrassment” is an example of a simile. A simile is a comparison using “like” or “as.” Write a list of 10 of your own similes. (Ch.33; Language Arts)
59. If it takes 20 minutes to walk 1 mile, how long does it take to walk 8? 9? (Ch.33; Math)
60. Draw an abstract desgin using a quadrilateral as the focal point. (Ch.33; Art)
61. Ben Gunn spent his 1,000 pounds in 19 days. Is this a good example of stewardship? What are some better choices he could have made? (Ch.34; Character; Critical Thinking)

What is your favorite part of a Treasure Island unit study?